Love Has a Diameter
by zayhra
Summary: There is nothing more confusing than being a teenage girl. But when she starts fancying a professor, and it doesn't seem to be unreciprocated, Lily will have to make the difficult choice between falling in love with an intelligent, mysterious older man or a caring, funny boy she knows only too well. James/Lily, Lily/OC
1. And To Start

Lily Evans grinned as she surveyed the chaos of Platform 9 and ¾. If you were to ask the seventeen year old, she would assure you that Hogwarts chaos was her favorite kind of chaos. Especially when the Marauders involved. She would then threaten to spoon out your eye sockets if you were to inform them of that.

As it were, the scene that lay before her had very little to do with the Marauders, and more to do with the excitement that always accompanied the beginning of school years. She watched as upper classmen clamored onto the train to find suitable compartments, and younger students tried to lift their trunks onto the train without the aid of magic.

Lily tried not to smile as a particularly frail-looking first year tried to balance her owl cage while shoving her trunk onto the train, but before she could move to help her, a tall bespectacled figure he knew all too well sidled up to the girl and lifted her trunk in one swoop. James Potter smiled down at the admiring young face beneath him, and said something that Lily, who stood on the other side of a ruckus group of fourth years, could not make out. She looked away quickly before James could catch her staring at him, and hurried on to the train. She had never admitted this to anyone but her mum, but she didn't really have it in her heart to hate James Potter. She knew that everyone assumed that because she shot down his advances, she could not tolerate him. In fact, if you were to ask the seventeen year old in a moment of weakness, she might admit that she didn't really trust herself to not fancy James Potter, and as he was more than slightly immature, she could predict that if he were to find that out, it would only end with both of them hurt. It was all together more safe to stay away from him and his friends, no matter how amusing she found them.

She was the first person to arrive at the Prefect's compartment, and as she settled on a chair at the head of the table, she took out her notebook and consulted the ever-growing list of life goals she first drew up at the ripe age of 10. She ran a finger down to the 46th item on the list, which she added in her second year in Hogwarts, right between items _45. Make Prefect_ and _47. Marry a musician_. As she drew a neat star next to _46. Make Head Girl_, the compartment door opened, announcing the entrance of Potter. Lily looked down quickly, and turned the pages of her notebook quickly lest he glance and see the last item she had penciled in, _253. Get along with Potter._

"Alright, Evans?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Hello," Lily replied, her eyes planted firmly on her notebook.

James shifted next to her, and she could feel his furtive stare on her face. "You must be wondering what I'm doing here." When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Well, you'll be saddened to know that Dumbledore has finally lost his bonce, since he made me Head Boy."

Lily finally looked up and met his gaze. However, if James had been expecting surprised elation or shocked horror, he was sadly disappointed, as she got neither. Instead, Lily merely nodded. "I know."

James had always considered himself a very good speaker. Indeed, he exuded confidence and charisma that drew others to him. He was able, with the help of his friends, to bring the entire Great Hall at a standstill if he so wished, and he was certain it was due to his excellent oral diction. Still, as Lily glanced down at her notebook again, all he could do was splutter.

"You know?"

"Of course I know." Lily gritted her teeth. She had no tolerance for idiocy, and at that moment, James was not making item 253 very easy on her. "Remus told me."

"When did he tell you?" James asked, trying to recover whatever refinement in speech he possessed.

"I ran into him in Diagon Alley a couple of weeks ago." Lily said as she doodled hearts around Warrell Greyfeather's name. James' eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her quill trace what looked like the 20th small heart, but he stopped himself from snapping at her that a pansy singer like Greyfeather wouldn't be interested in a school girl, even if she did have a face that reminded him of summer, and hair that smelt comfortingly of Christmas.

"So," He shook his head and leaned away from her, as the scent was slightly intoxicating. "What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Me being Head Boy, you dolt."

"Don't call me that, and I don't really have an opinion yet. I'll judge you once you prove yourself or otherwise, if that's okay with you."

James went to ruffle his hair but then stopped himself. "That wasn't really the reaction I was expecting, Evans."

"What did you envisage, then? A party?"

James grinned. "Quite the opposite, really."

"I don't know why people expect me to overreact about everything. I mean, I'll admit that I was… surprised when Remus told me, but I'm not one to be in a strop over things I can't control."

"I know that, but you're still taking this much more calmly than I thought you would."

"I know you've calmed down in the past year, Potter, I'm not blind. And I trust Dumbledore. If he thinks you can be an effective Head Boy, then I believe him."

"Would you feel the same way if he made Sirius Head Boy?"

"No, because Sirius is insane, and you have some common sense, at least."

"Well, I know you don't think I'm insane now- but would you stop that, because it's driving me mad." He placed a hand over her quill before she could draw another heart.

Lily looked up and smirked, trying to ignore the leap her stomach took. "Why, are you jealous?"

"If I say yes, will you be cross?"

"No, but I'd tell you that you're ridiculous."

"Then yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I'm jealous."

Lily's grin widened. "You're not a Warrell Greyfeather fan, I take it?"

"I don't think his songs were meant for my kind."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't really have knickers to drop when he starts to croon."

Lily laughed, and James smiled. "Stupefy My Heart is one of the loveliest songs I've heard, thank you."

"And that has nothing to do with how Greyfeather looks?" James cocked an eyebrow at the pretty redhead.

"I've always liked a man with a beard."

James' eyes travelled heavenward. "Oh… for… the… love… of Agrippa."

"You're just annoyed because you can't grow a beard." Lily giggled.

"And how would you know?"

"I remember the whiskers you modeled last year."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Evans."

"I honestly thought a caterpillar had crawled on your top lip and died."

"Are you sure you're Head Girl, because you're starting to imagine things. Do you know what year it is, Evans? What's your middle name?"

Suddenly, the compartment door opened, and James realized that his hand was resting on top of Lily's for the last 5 minutes. He moved it quickly and folded his arms, but not before Snape could see where that hand had been. Severus Snape froze at the door, unable to believe what he had just witnessed, though Lily's blush and James' reddening ears seemed to only confirm his worst nightmare. He felt anger swell in his chest, a type of anger that seemed to reserve itself for moments that involved the Marauders. However, he was saved from reacting as other Prefects lined behind him, trying to enter the compartment.

Lily quickly stood up in order to put some distance between her and the Head Boy and she tried to ignore Sev's glare. She smiled at the prefects as they slowly filed in, and when the door shut behind the last prefect, James stood up. "Alright then, Allons-y."

* * *

Lily took a seat next to Marlene and grinned at her friend. She surreptitiously watched James as he took a seat with the Marauders a few seats across from her. He said something to Sirius who let out a loud bark-like laugh.

"Do you remember Paul Zabini?" Marlene asked Lily.

"Vaguely," Lily said, tearing her eyes away from the loud boys. "Isn't he the one you snogged last week at the dance club?"

"More than snogged, darling." Marlene grinned impishly. "He could do things with his tongue that should be outlawed."

"You know what should be outlawed? You, sharing things like that with me. It makes me queasy."

"Don't be a swot. Anyway, he asked me to go to the first Hogsmeade trip with him."

"Already?" Lily gaped. "School hasn't even started. The _Welcoming Feast_ hasn't even started."

"Real men like to move quickly, especially when it comes to me."

"Because you're a slag."

"Jealousy is unbecoming, Lil." Marlene wrapped her arm around Lily's. Lily smiled down at her friend and patted her head affectionately. She had always liked Marlene, despite Sev's old warnings that she was a bad influence. She didn't really understand why everyone assumed she would move through boys the same way Marlene did just because she liked the girl's company. If anything, they were complete opposites that way. Lily could count on one hand the amount of boys she snogged, let alone slept with.

Lily looked up as Dumbledore stood up, and her eyes travelled along the table. She nudged Marlene when she saw the figure that sat to Flitwick's right. He was much younger than the last Defense professor they had, who retired after one year due to health problems. This man couldn't have been older than 30, with russet hair that reached his earlobes.

"I swear on Merlin's wand, Dumbledore hired him to torture me." Marlene mumbled.

"He's quite fetching, isn't he?" Mary MacDonald said as she saw her dormitory mates' eyes fixed on the young man.

"I should ask him if he's against corporal punishment, because he could bend me over and spank me anytime he wanted."

Lily rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from agreeing with Marlene. It was hard not to find the man attractive, and as she glanced around the Great Hall, she saw that most of Hogwarts' female population were watching the professor as he spooned roast potatoes on his plate.

"You lot are pathetic." Sirius Black spoke up.

"You have to admit he's scrummy." Marlene said, grinning at the four boys.

"I don't have to admit anything, McKinnon." James replied, then smirked at Lily. "Good thing he doesn't have a beard, Evans."

"Oh shut it." She said absently.

"I should ask him if he could sing, because then you might have a coronary."

"If you don't shut up, I'm getting you knickers for Christmas."

"You're giving James your used knickers, Evans?" Sirius smirked.

"You're revolting." Lily glared.

"And you're drooling. He won't look twice at any of you, you know."

"It doesn't mean we can't hope." Lily grinned at Sirius, and turned to Marlene. "And I shall definitely speak to Dumbledore about corporal punishment. I'll even pitch in for a cane."

"And _I'm_ revolting?"

**A/N: That was fun to write. Let me know if you have comments/suggestions, as they will be greatly appreciated.**

**Just as a forewarning, this fanfiction will contain scenes of explicit sexual nature, as well as bad language and general debauchery. Because life would be boring otherwise, really.**


	2. The GoSlow

**A/N: I only feel like writing when I think people are interested in reading this, which is my conniving way of saying please R&R!**

Lily took her time heading to breakfast on the first day of class. In her opinion, it was unspeakably early for any teenager to be fully functional, but as usual, she was the first one in her dormitory to get up. If you were to ask the redhead, she would attribute her daily early wake-ups to the fact that her bedroom at home was inconveniently located right next to the loo, where her sister insisted on taking very early and very loud showers every morning.

She didn't really mind being an early riser since it guaranteed her a good spot at breakfast, and a chance to catch up on some reading. As it were, Lily was surprised to see a dark-haired figure sitting at the Gryffindor table that morning, piling egg and sausage onto his plate. Despite her better judgment, Lily headed toward the table and took a seat across from him.

"Good morning, Black."

"Evans," he nodded cordially, buttering the pile of toast he had laid on his plate.

"Where are the Three Stooges?"

Sirius' handsome face creased in suspicion. "What?"

Lily smiled innocently as she reached for her own piece of toast. "Nothing, I'm just surprised to see you without your friends."

"I like to give the impression that I'm brooding, since it adds another layer to my personality." He smirked cockily at her, though the effect was slightly ruined with his excessive blinking. In fact, if Lily wasn't raised with a hypochondriac and knew the actual symptoms of a stroke, she might have thought his odd blinking was an epileptic fit.

"Fascinating. Is the twitching eye another layer of your persona too?"

"Cow," Sirius glared, before leaning above their plates toward her. "Is there something in my left eye? It's itching like mad."

Lily leaned toward him too, focusing on his grey eyes. She shook her head and took her seat again. "No, but you do have very nice eyelashes."

Sirius rubbed his eye irritably. "They're not bloody helping now though. I thought the stupid things were supposed to protect your eyes from dirt, not invite some over for tea."

Lily sighed wistfully, ignoring him. "If you were a girl, you'd barely need mascara. I hope my future off-springs have eyelashes as nice as yours."

Sirius' hand dropped from his face and he grimaced. "Are you _flirting_ with me, Evans?"

"Don't be daft."

"Well, if someone were to overhear our conversation, they would assume that you _were_ flirting. With _me_."

"Just eat your breakfast."

"Because if you are flirting with me, I'd tell you that you're deluded. And too eccentric for my liking."

"That's flattering, Black. You should write a book about winning people over since you seem to be such an expert."

"I would, but you might start fancying me even more when I'm rich and famous."

"Or when pigs fly."

"They taught us how to do that in first-year Charms, which just proves my point."

"Arse."

"Who's an arse?" James asked as he and Peter took their seats across from Lily.

"Evans, for fancying me."

Lily threw a piece of crust at Sirius as hard as she could. "I do not fancy you."

Sirius shook his head. "She offered to bear my children, mate. The bird is insatiable."

"If you don't stop, I'll make sure you're never capable of having children."

"That's a lovely conversation to have over breakfast, Evans. Please tell us more." James mumbled, splattering pieces of masticated breakfast everywhere.

Lily glowered, wondering what possessed her to sit next to Sirius in the first place. She turned her attention to Peter, who she assumed would be the least threatening person to have a conversation with.

"Good morning, Pettigrew." Lily smiled sweetly at the short boy. "Where's Remus?"

"Why? Do you fancy him too?"

"Will. You. Shut. Up. Black."

"And don't bat your eyelashes at Peter, he's an innocent. He doesn't need you disturbing him with your womanly wiles."

The three boys guffawed loudly (though she wasn't sure why Peter was laughing, since it was at his expense), drawing the filling room's attention toward them.

"I hate you lot." Lily grumbled. She turned around and surveyed the room as the boys rattled on about her faults, and wasn't surprised to see Sev alone at the Slytherin table. Her eyes moved on quickly, and she hoped he hadn't seen her sitting with the Marauders as that would only result in more glares in her direction. At the Ravenclaw table, Robert Fawcett caught her eye and waved. She smiled pleasantly at him, and was about to turn her attention back to the flamboyant boys next to her when she felt another pair of eyes on her. She blinked at the figure that sat at the staff table as he unabashedly returned her gaze, and she immediately started to wonder if she had done something wrong. When she assured herself that she hadn't, she started to blush at the attention. His face was expressionless, except for the slight upturn his lips took as soon as she started turning red, his deep-set eyes glimmering with what she hoped was amusement. Lily ducked her head quickly just as Marlene and Remus settled next to her.

"Morning Lil," Marlene said, not noticing her friend's flushed appearance. "Any good dreams?"

For reasons that were completely foreign to Lily, Marlene had an obsession with dreams, and was the only one in the girls' dormitories that continued on with Divinations after their O. , even though they all realized it was bloody useless half way through their third year.

"I vaguely remember something about an otter and raspberry jam." Lily said, puckering her lips as she tried to remember the dream. Was the otter _swimming_ in jam or eating it?

"This is why you need to write down your dreams _as soon as you wake up._" Marlene chastised her friend, before turning her attention to the owl that had dropped a letter on her plate.

"Oh, it's from my brother," she said, stroking the barn owl. "It's probably a badly disguised effort to find out if you've asked about him."

"Why would you ask about Terry McKinnon?" James asked Lily suddenly, bringing the rest of the Marauder's attention back to her as well.

"Because she stayed with us for a week this summer, and he told her being away from her tears his heart asunder," Marlene replied.

"He said no such thing, you lying cow." Lily laughed nervously, darting her eyes from James' frown to Sirius' badly disguised glee.

"Oh all right, he said she's a snitch amongst quaffles, which isn't nearly as romantic."

"You're dating Terry McKinnon?" Remus asked interestedly.

"No! Of course not."

"Don't tell him that," Marlene snorted, reading her letter out loud. "_Could you tell Lily that I have an extra ticket to see Marmaduke Podmore? Unless she doesn't like Marmaduke Podmore. If she doesn't, don't say anything. But if she does, tell her it's two weeks from Monday, and I can meet her in Hogsmeade, and we can get dinner, but only if she wants to. If she doesn't, it's perfectly all right. But, she said I'm her friend, right? And friends go to dinner and shows together all the time, don't they? I mean, if she wants to call it a date, or just a friendly get-together, it's up to her-"_

Lily groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands while Sirius Black cackled.

"How many different love potions did you feed the bloke?" Peter frowned, eyeing Lily and then his goblet nervously.

"None, he just saw her in a bathing suit." Marlene snickered, folding her letter away.

"Some blokes have all the luck," James shook his head regrettably.

"He was probably blinded by how pale you are, Evans. He might as well have stared straight at the sun."

"You're really not very fond of your bollocks, are you Black?"

"That is no way for the Head Girl to speak at breakfast, Miss Evans."

Lily cringed as McGonagall came up to the group to hand them their class schedules, and only blushed harder as the Marauders and Marlene snickered.

"Sorry, Professor." Lily whispered, trying to shield her face with her hair.

"Double Potions, Defense, then Ancient Runes after lunch," Remus said, looking at the piece of parchment McGonagall handed him. "That's not too bad."

"Speak for yourself," James scowled at his parchment. "I have Muggle Studies _and _Care of Magical Creatures after lunch."

Lily got up from her seat. "I suppose I'll head to Potions now, I want to get a good seat. Coming, Mar?"

"You go ahead," Marlene shook her head. "I need to head back to the tower before class anyway, I didn't bring my Potions book."

Lily shrugged before heading toward the Entrance Hall. "Suit yourself," she yelled out, dodging a pair of Hufflepuff third-years as they hurried to grab breakfast before class.

She walked the empty path to the dungeons slowly, humming nondescriptly. Lily slipped into the Potions classroom, sat at the front and took out her notebook. She decided it was high time for her to clean up her long life goal list, since it was obvious that she could not accomplish everything that she had put down. She worked her way down the list slowly, pausing at items like _28. Learn a musical instrument. Violin? Piano?_ And _56. Take dance lessons_ before crossing them out neatly. She felt Marlene slip into the seat next to her when she was halfway down her list, but she did not acknowledge her friend as she contemplated whether _112. Ask Dirk Cresswell if he thought they would have intelligent, attractive children too _was worth scratching off. By the time Lily reached the end of the list, the class had gotten noisier, and she finally looked up to smile at Marlene. It was then that she started, realizing that the person sat next to her was a far cry from the outgoing Gryffindor. Before she could react, Slughorn's booming voice signaled the beginning of class.

She didn't say anything to Severus as Slughorn instructed them to brew a Wit-Sharpening Potion as a review. Lily worked silently and efficiently, slicing her Ginger Roots finely before moving on to grind Scarab Beetles until they made a fine powder. She had always found Potions soothing, as it reminded her very much of baking. Her mother had always instructed her and Petunia to follow recipes very closely when it came to baking cakes, and she said all the ingredients made a "fine balance". Potions was very similar, as all the elements needed to be measured carefully, and instructions were to be followed meticulously. Lily concentrated on her cauldron, and it was only after she mixed the Armadillo Bile into her potion that she allowed herself to relax. She readied her Ginger Root and watched as the liquid turned an attractive violet, completely forgetting that she was sat beside Snape until he spoke up.

"Your hair is shorter."

She was so startled by his comment that she forgot to ignore him. She blinked owlishly at him. "What?"

"You cut your hair," he said quickly, his dark eyes gleaming. "I like it, though."

"T-thank you." Lily nodded, and then glanced behind her. Marlene was sat next to Geoffrey Spleen, a squat Slytherin. To her left, James Potter and Sirius Black were comparing Potions, looking completely confused as to why their concoctions were both red.

"I've been meaning to speak to you, Lily." Severus said, drawing her attention back to him. "You haven't returned any of my letters."

"I told you, Sev," Lily said, sprinkling her roots into her cauldron as it bubbled into a dark orange. "I really have nothing to say to you."

"But if you would just _listen_ to me," he said quickly, "I just need to explain-"

"I don't want to hear it." Lily interrupted, her heart hammering violently against her chest.

"Lily, _please_-"

"Lily my dear!" Slughorn boomed, and she had never been more grateful to hear his voice. "Let's have a look at your Wit-Sharpening Potion, then! Ah, well I can tell you now that you won't need to take it, it was brewed excellently!" Slughorn beamed, and Lily tried to return his smile despite the pang her heart gave. When Slughorn signaled the end of class, she bottled her potion quickly and bolted out of the dungeons, heading straight to the girl's bathroom before Severus could follow her. She only emerged ten minutes before her Defense class, and she raced up three flights of stairs and hurried to take a seat. However, as soon as she did, she saw Snape head toward the empty chair beside her and she blanched. But before Snape could reach her table, James slipped into the chair and grinned mischievously at her.

"Alright, Evans?"

"You're in my seat, Potter." Severus growled at James.

"This is the first day of class, Snivellus, and seeing as you have never sat at this table before, I would say that it's _my_ seat."

"You _saw_ me head over here. I was sitting next to Lily at Potions,"

"Well, it's not Potions now, so I'm going to sit with Lily, if that's alright with you."

"She doesn't want to sit next to you, _Potter_."

"She doesn't want _you_ to be anywhere near her, not until you take a bath you greasy git."

"It's none of your business what she wants!"

"Seeing as _I'm _in her house, and _I'm_ her fellow Head, I would say that she is more of my business than you are."

"What seems to be the problem here, gentlemen?" The professor approached their table, his eyes flickering from Lily's crimson face to the two squabbling boys.

"Potter's in my seat, Professor McLeod."

"No, Snape wants _my _seat, Professor."

"I sat next to Lily at Potions-"

"Again, that was two hours ago, and I think Evans is allowed to sit with other people too."

Professor McLeod raised his hand to silence the boys, and his gaze steadied on Lily. "You seem to be very popular, Miss Evans." He spoke slowly, his eyes studying her face closely as if deciphering a puzzle. "Do you have a preference on whom you would rather be seated next to?"

"I-" Lily's nervous gaze flickered from Severus' angry one to James' laughing expression. Before she could answer him, however, the professor began speaking again.

"Because Miss Evans doesn't seem to have an immediate preference, I am rather inclined to ask her to move to a less dangerous seat. Mr Snape and Mr Potter, since you two seem to be very fond of this table, you can share it. As for you, Miss Evans, perhaps you might safer next to a female student."

Lily shuffled quickly to the empty seat next to Laurel Plunkett, trying to ignore the snickers of her classmates.

"Now, I would like to begin teaching this class, unless someone else has some grievances to share?" He looked at James and Severus, who were both sitting stiffly at their table.

"Good," he nodded at the silent class. "My name is Professor McLeod, and I will help guide you through your last year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am an academic researcher for the Department of Mysteries, and have taken this teaching position as a sabbatical while I try to write a book discussing the Dark Arts. I am very familiar with the materials that will be covered in your examinations, since my Defense N.E.W.T wasn't that long ago." He smiled at the class.

He went on to draw a list of what they would be covering that year, and what they would be expected to know for their N.E.W.T.s. As the class ended, the students filed out slowly, and Lily was about to follow when he called her.

"Miss Evans, a word, please."

Lily looked at Marlene anxiously, who merely shrugged. She made her way nervously to his desk, and was surprised when he smiled down at her, bearing very straight and white teeth.

"Miss Evans, I was wondering if you would be willing to assist me during my research. I was looking for an upper-classman who would be prepared to sift through my notes and materials with me in order to make my life slightly easier."

Lily was so surprised by his pronouncement that she could only think of one thing to say. "But- today, with Snape and Ja- Potter…"

Professor McLeod's smile slid off his face quickly. "Your social life doesn't interest me, Miss Evans. And despite today's theatrics, you do come highly recommended by your Head of House as well as the other staff members who have encountered you. If you are willing to take this position, it will only aid you in whatever future career you choose to pursue."

"Oh- yes. Of course." Lily nodded, smiling uncertainly.

"Good," he inclined his head. "Are you free after dinner tonight?"

"Oh, no." Lily shook her head quickly. "I have rounds with James Potter."

"Ah," the professor smiled thinly. "I'm sure he's thrilled. Tomorrow night then, at 7 sharp, Miss Evans."

"Yes, Professor." Lily smiled briefly before hurrying toward lunch, wondering what had just happened.

**A/N: Ta for reading! **


	3. Skipping Beats

Shortly after dinner, Lily Evans entered the Gryffindor common room and looked around efficiently, her green eyes travelling across the frazzled first-years practicing their Charms work and the gaggle of fourth-year girls eyeing the Quidditch team blokes across the room. She spotted James Potter sitting in front of the fire with Remus Lupin, and strode towards the boys quickly.

"Hi Remus," Lily smiled at the tired-looking boy as she reached the seats by the fire. "Would you mind if I borrow that book for a minute?"

Remus glanced down at the book in question on his lap, and then handed it to Lily, his confused frown eminent.

Lily's smile widened as she was handed the thick book, before slapping the back of James' head with it as hard as the slender Head Girl could. In response, James cursed loudly, drawing the room's attention to them.

"What in Merlin's pants was that for?" James shouted, rubbing his head and wincing at the contact.

"Don't you ever," Lily hissed, her index finger pointing at him threateningly. "Do what you did in class ever again. _Ever._"

At Lily's pronouncement, James relaxed into his chair again and grinned, his bruised head forgotten. "Why Lily, I have no idea what you're on about."

"I can handle Severus by myself." Lily glared at the lounging boy. "I don't need your interference. It only makes it worse."

"I didn't say you needed me," James held up his hands, trying- and failing to look innocent. "Maybe I just like sitting next to you in class."

"My arse."

"I quite like that too, now that you mention it." James' laughing face ducked as Lily took another swing at him with the book.

"I'm serious, Potter. I do not want to air out my dirty laundry for all of Hogwarts to see."

"Fine, but you can show me your dirty pants any time." James ducked again, chuckling.

"Where's Marlene?" Remus asked, resourcefully distracting the redhead from James. Though, if you were to ask the seventh-year girl in a moment of weakness, she would have admitted that she quite enjoyed bantering with James Potter, even if it usually ended with her blushing or growling.

"Probably off snogging some unsuspecting Hufflepuff," Lily replied, dropping onto a seat next to Remus. James watched Lily as she brushed her thick hair to one side before rubbing her eyes tiredly, wondering what it would take for her to choose a seat next to him instead. That thought reminded James of a question he had wanted to ask Lily.

"What did McLeod want?" James asked, trying to draw her attention back to him.

"Oh, he wants me to help him with some research," Lily replied distractedly, looking over Remus' shoulder. "Is that the book about you were telling me about? About Muggle Egyptian calligraphy?"

Remus nodded. "I just got it through owl post today. It's really interesting, actually. I think I might ask Professor Babbling if I could write our essay about it instead of the medieval scrolls we're analyzing."

Lily's eyes widened excitedly, and James tried his best not to glare at Remus in jealousy.

"Can I share that book with you if he says it's alright?" Lily asked, "Oh _please _Remus, that sounds so much more fascinating than medieval runes."

The boy laughed at her eagerness. "Of course. You can read the book once I'm finished with it."

Lily beamed, and James scowled.

"I don't know why you think it's so exciting," he rolled his eyes, "You obviously don't get out enough, Evans."

Lily's smile disappeared quickly and she frowned, but before she could reply, Sirius and Peter stumbled into the room noisily and headed towards them.

"Prongs!" Sirius said, his face almost maniacal with glee. "We found another one."

Lily's eyes travelled from the boys' disheveled hair to their dirty school uniforms. Both of their faces were laden with dirt, as if they had both taken a tumble into a very dusty floor.

"Outside?" James seemed to come to life as he sat up straighter, his expression shining with excitement.

Peter nodded enthusiastically. "To a cellar, we think Honey-" He stopped abruptly when Sirius nudged him hard on the ribs.

"Evans," Sirius nodded to the girl once, before turning back to James. "If we hurry, we can show you. It takes about half an hour."

James stood up quickly, and Remus followed, albeit with much more composure. Before they could leave the common room, Lily grabbed James' arm roughly, making him freeze in place.

"We have rounds in an hour." Lily warned, "I'm _not_ doing them alone."

James' gaze travelled from her grip on his arm to her serious expression. He broke out in a crooked grin. "I'll be there, don't worry." Lily let go of his arm at his pronouncement and they hurried out, whispering excitedly.

Lily sank into her seat and grumbled to herself. She wondered how those four boys' lives seem to be so much more exciting than anyone else's in school. It was as if their mere existence attracted adventure, and they always seemed to be plotting or finding something. The only stimulating thing that happened to Lily last year was when she accidentally flicked her wand instead of swishing it in Charms, making her eyebrows disappear for a week. Even that was only due to Sirius Black yelling an extremely obscene word in class, causing Lily to be momentarily distracted.

True to his word, James stumbled back into the common room fifty-nine minutes later, appearing only slightly unkempt. Lily looked up from the book Remus left on the table in surprise, and tried to hold back a smile as the tall, gangly boy grinned down at her.

"Ready?" He asked, gesturing toward the exit. Lily nodded and followed him out. They walked along in companionable silence down the seventh floor corridor, Lily lost in thought as she went over the information she had just read. She was snapped out of her reverie when James spoke, his voice magnified in the empty corridor.

"So, did you have a good summer, Evans?" James asked, ruffling his hair.

Lily ignored his gesture and replied. "It was fine, a bit quiet. My sister got engaged."

"Well, that's exciting, isn't it?" James quirked an eyebrow.

"You don't know my sister," she smiled. "The world revolves around Petunia, I'm afraid."

"With a name like Petunia, what did you expect?"

"Funny."

"And you don't think the world should revolve around Petunia, then?" James asked, watching as the redhead frowned.

"It's not that. I just think… Well, she just likes things her way and dislikes anything that doesn't fit her picture of perfect."

"Well, if you had things _your_ way, what would you like right now? More than _anything else_?"

Lily pretended to ponder his question. "A Terry's Chocolate Orange."

"A what?"

Lily grinned. "It's a muggle sweet. It's chocolate shaped as an orange, and it's divided into segments. Dad used to bring us each one if he had a good day at work."

"Why is it divided into segments?"

"You try eating a whole orange in one go." Lily rolled her eyes.

"I have, it's doable if you chew carefully."

"That's a lovely image."

James smirked and shook his head sadly. "I have to admit I'm disappointed, Evans. I offer you the world and you ask for a chocolate orange."

"I'll ask for world peace then, so you don't think I'm selfish."

"I don't think you're selfish, you just don't think big enough."

Lily rolled her eyes. "What would you want then, if you could have anything?"

"I would want to know who your first kiss was."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "How is that better than a chocolate orange?"

"I'm a complicated creature," James grinned down at the redhead. "So, who was it?"

"Why should I tell you?" Lily asked, nudging his arm with hers.

"Because if you don't, I'll just ask who your first shag was, and that would lead to you either awkwardly telling me, or me awkwardly begging you to."

"You're incorrigible." Lily glared, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know if you remember Thomas Bobbin? He graduated last year? He cornered me after dinner in fourth year and snogged me."

James nodded, a small smile etched in his face. "I remember him, you went out with him for a while, didn't you?"

"Only for a couple of weeks. How on earth do you remember that?"

"I am a man of many talents."

"Who was yours then?"

"My whom?"

"Your first kiss, you berk."

James grinned. "Eileen Rockwood. Third year."

Lily's eyebrows flew up quickly. "Wasn't she Head Girl our fourth year?"

James sighed wistfully. "That she was. She was brill."

"And disgusting, if she was snogging thirteen-year-olds at sixteen."

"Bobbin was older than you were!"

"Yes, but fourteen and sixteen is acceptable. You're not even _human_ yet at thirteen. It's sick."

"I don't like your judgmental tone, Evans."

"It would be like _me_ snogging a fourteen-year-old now. Don't tell me you wouldn't be horrified."

"I would wonder if he'd fed you a love potion," James nodded in agreement.

"Did you drug Eileen Rockwood then?"

"If charming the sense out of her is considered a drug, then yes."

Lily laughed in spite of herself, and would have admitted that she was quite enjoying their conversation, despite the slightly uncomfortable questions he was throwing at her. Their rounds ended far too quickly for either of their liking, and as they made their way to their respected dormitories both of them went to bed with a smile, reliving the way they made each other laugh.

The next day, Lily Evans grinned as she entered Herbology and headed toward an empty seat next to Dirk Cresswell. Dirk was a Muggle-born, like her, as well as a member of the Slug Club. Lily had recounted many conversations she had had with him to Marlene, and she was quite convinced that he was entirely too brilliant and perfect to even exist.

"Good morning Dirk," Lily smiled at the Ravenclaw.

"Hi Lily," he replied, tearing his eyes from the book he was studying. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Lily grinned and glimpsed at his book. "Is that Gobbledegook?"

Dirk nodded, glanced down at his book again. "Yes, I'm teaching myself how to speak it. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of skills when we have to look for work."

"That's remarkable, Dirk." The pretty redhead smiled at him, and he flushed. "It's a difficult language to learn. I'm very impressed."

The boy shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. "I'm glad you think so, Lily. Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

Lily's eyes widened in excitement, and she hoped he would give her something worthy of repeating to Marlene later on. "What's that?"

"Would you mind switching seats with James Potter?" Dirk asked nervously, and Lily's heart sank.

"Why?" She asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Didn't he used to hex you in fourth-year?"

Dirk nodded slowly. "Yes, but he hasn't done that in years."

"Still, why would you want to be anywhere near him?"

"Well, Potter's dad works at the Regulation of Magical Creatures office, and I was hoping he would be able to help me in securing a job this summer."

"You want me to switch seats with Potter so you can sweet-talk him?" Lily repeated, trying not to lose respect for the brilliant boy.

Dirk had the decency to look embarrassed. "You know how difficult it is for Muggle-borns right now, Lily. We don't have the connections other wizards do, and it's becoming very dangerous to hire one of us."

Though she wouldn't have admitted it, Lily felt her heart soften as she studied Dirk Cresswell's kind features. He was right, of course. It didn't hurt to know as many Purebloods as possible at that time, and the Potters were one of the more influential families in the Wizarding world. With that in mind, Lily consented, grabbing her things and striding towards where James Potter and Peter Pettigrew sat.

"Potter, switch seats with me." She said as she approached the pair.

James' expression froze in surprise. "You want to sit with me?"

"No, you idiot. I want you to switch seats with me. Go sit next to Dirk Cresswell."

"Why, trouble in paradise?" James sneered, and Lily tried to hide her surprise at the fact that he knew of her affections for Dirk.

"Please," Lily said, glancing back at Dirk who was eyeing them nervously. "He's a nice bloke, you'll get on."

"Right," James said slowly, watching her expression carefully. "If you really want me to."

"Thank you," Lily smiled, and took her seat next to Peter. She watched as James made his way toward Dirk Cresswell, and smiled as Dirk grabbed James' hand and shook it vigorously.

"What did you do, Evans?" Peter asked, watching the two boys as well.

"It's my good deed of the day," Lily replied, and turned her attention to Professor Sprout.

* * *

Lily stood outside Professor McLeod's office and hesitated before knocking. She wasn't sure why, but she was extremely nervous, more so than she could ever remember being. When she heard him murmur something inside, she entered his office slowly and glanced around at the piles of books and stacks of parchments that seemed to cover ever nook and cranny. McLeod was sat at his desk, and barely looked up as the Head Girl approached him.

"Good evening, Professor." Lily spoke softly, regarding him nervously.

He met her gaze as she spoke and smiled tightly. "Miss Evans," he nodded. "Take a seat."

Lily sat down across from him, and tried not to fidget as he handed her a stack of parchment and a highlighting quill.

"I'm currently working on a chapter about House Elf magic," McLeod said, not taking his eyes off the redhead as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "I need you to underline any instances of defense magic used by elves and then copy them onto a fresh roll of parchment."

"Yes, sir." Lily replied, unrolling the first scroll he handed her and squinting at his small, neat handwriting. She felt herself relax as they worked quietly, only glancing up to retrieve another roll of parchment or more ink. Lily found the work comforting in its repetition, and the information she was reading was so interesting that she could not bring herself to feel even slightly wearied at the amount of parchment he had thrown by her side.

So engrossed in her work, Lily did not realize McLeod had left his seat until she felt him brush against her arm as he moved to retrieve something from a shelf by her. She froze at the contact as her heart skittered nervously, and her face heated. She felt so stupid at her reaction to an innocent gesture that she could only shake herself, willing her mind to concentrate on the work. As she focused back on an instant when a a House Elf called Sooky stupefied a wizard who tried to kidnap her owner's child, Lily felt something brush against her shoulder. Her breathing hitched again, but she didn't look up from the parchment. She felt his fingers traveling up her left arm unhurriedly and she closed her eyes, his hand leaving a tingling trail on her skin. She shifted in her seat again, feeling an uncomfortable sensation between her thighs that she did not want to acknowledge. His light touch travelled to her neck and she shivered involuntarily. When she finally looked up, she blinked in surprise. Professor McLeod was nowhere near her, but at the opposite side of the room, his back to her as he studied a row of books near the door.

Lily turned away quickly and blinked in confusion. She wondered if she had imagined his touch, and if she was honestly that sexually frustrated to project an entire situation with her _professor._ She flushed at her idiocy, contemplating what had gotten into her. Her mind was so preoccupied that the rest of their session went by much too slowly for her liking. She sat at her chair stiffly, trying to ignore McLeod as he moved around the room, picking up and setting down different books. As the clock striked nine, he cleared his throat and Lily lifted her head quickly, looking up at him from his desk.

"I think that will do for tonight, Miss Evans." He said, his eyes fixed on the open book he was holding. "Will you join me tomorrow?"

"I… I suppose." Lily gulped. "At 7 again?"

"Yes, Miss Evans." He approached the desk slowly, not taking his eyes off the book.

Lily stood up quickly, and smoothed down her skirt. She made her way toward the door hurriedly, and only paused when she heard him call her name.

"Miss Evans," Lily looked back and met his steady gaze. "Good night."

"Good night, Professor." Lily replied nervously, and left his office.

**A/N: Tots inapprops.**

**I wrote a one-shot J/L drabble last week, if any of you would be interested in reading it. I'm thinking of writing another one along the same lines, except with Lily and James' roles reversed. We shall see.**

**Reviews are wonderful, and so are you for writing them. **


	4. Questions & Answers

**Chapter 4: Questions & Answers**

Lily Evans was very confused. She felt entirely uncertain as to why she was confused, since her professor barely said anything to her during their biweekly meetings, nor did he attempt to go anywhere near her. Yet, she still found herself studying him as he scribbled on furiously every Tuesday and Wednesday, his quill twitching as he frowned over large volumes of books. Every time he stood up to retrieve something, Lily would stiffen and she would feel unable to relax until he had sat down at the desk again. Those nights made her insanely uncomfortable, yet for reasons unfathomable to her seventeen-year-old mind, she looked forward to them. She spent many nights wondering whether she should tell Marlene about what she was feeling, or if she would sound like a deluded schoolgirl voicing out her thoughts toward her professor. She wanted so desperately to have someone confirm her mental stability, but who that could be escaped her.

Still, what she did not expect when she walked into Professor McLeod's office on a Wednesday night at the end of September was a conversation. He was a quiet person, and someone who did not seem interested in chatting with a seventeen-year-old teenager. But a conversation was just the beginning of what Lily got that night.

As soon as she shut his office door, Professor McLeod lifted his head from his desk wearily, and looked her over.

"Good evening, Professor." Lily smiled and sat at the opposite end of his desk, bringing the book laid out in front of her seat closer and propping it open.

"Would you rather read about trolls and offensive or defensive spells?" McLeod asked, and Lily lifted her eyes to the ceiling in contemplation.

"Well, you're writing a Defense book, so I suppose defensive spells would make sense. But I think mentioning offensive spells wouldn't hurt either. It would make the chapter more well-rounded." Lily said, meeting his steady gaze.

He surveyed her silently, a small smile playing on his lips as Lily squirmed at his scrutiny. When she finally looked away from him, he spoke. "You're a very clever witch." He stated factually.

"Oh," Lily looked up at him and blinked owlishly. "Thank you."

He nodded and picked up a quill, scribbling something at the margin of his parchment. "Have you given any thought as to what you would want to do after school?"

"Well," Lily spoke slowly, frowning in thought. "In fifth year I told Professor McGonagall I would think about Healing, but I'm not sure how much I fancy that now."

"What do you fancy now, then?" he said, tilting his head slightly as he studied her.

Lily flushed and looked away quickly. "I quite enjoy what you do, but Professor Slughorn is always encouraging me to join the Ministry."

"I think you would do well in whatever you try, Miss Evans. Though you wouldn't blame me for trying to convince you to join my own field."

Lily blinked up at him again, and was saved from replying as a tentative knock at the door made her jump. She looked back as a small student poked her head in, blushing at the sight of the young professor.

"Come in, Miss Jones." McLeod smiled at the girl who approached his desk tentatively.

"Professor Slughorn told me to give you this," she said, handing him a small scroll of parchment.

"Thank you, Aggie." McLeod said, tearing open the scroll and looking it over quickly. "How's your essay coming along?"

"It's fine," she replied, blushing. She eyed Lily critically before turning back to the professor. "I'll see you tomorrow, Professor."

As soon as she left the room, McLeod turned his gaze toward Lily and smiled, making her heart flutter pitiably. "Speaking of Professor Slughorn, he's having a get-together later this week."

"I didn't get an invitation," Lily said, avoiding his gaze.

"Don't worry Miss Evans, Professor Slughorn is quite fond of you, I'm sure yours is on the way," he watched clearly amused, before turning his attention back to the parchment. "You will not be denied the pleasure of meeting Daphne Switch, who is apparently a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and Mr. Greyfeather."

Lily couldn't suppress her gasp and she cried out. "Warrell Greyfeather? The singer?"

The professor cocked an eyebrow at her. "I take it you're a fan."

"Oh, I just _love_ him," Lily gushed, wringing her hands together excitedly. "I went to see him in London last year with Mary MacDonald, and he was _so_ amazing. When he started singing 'The Way You Stun Me', it almost made me cry. We stood outside for ages hoping to meet him, but he apparated home from inside the hall."

McLeod smiled stiffly. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

Lily's eyes widened in awe. "You know Warrell Greyfeather?"

"He was a year below me in Hogwarts."

Lily laughed delightedly. "That's fantastic. I wonder if anyone I know will become famous."

"That is a possibility," he smiled warmly. "Hogwarts is a big school."

"I bet it would be Sirius Black," Lily contemplated aloud, pursing her lips in thought. "Anyone with two eyes and some sense can see he's good-looking. I should ask him if he could sing."

When McLeod didn't say anything in reply, Lily realized that she probably shouldn't have voiced her opinion of other students, especially regarding their physical appearance. She started to turn a violent shade of red as the silence grew, and jumped when he spoke again.

"Will Mr. Black be accompanying you to the party then?" he asked, his gaze hardening at her blush.

Lily gaped at him. "No! Why would you say that?"

As he spoke, Lily saw a glint in his eyes that she had never seen before. He was staring at her determinedly, his expression a mixture of ire and pleasure. "You're a clever girl, aren't you? Everyone who meets you thinks you're clever. Maybe Mr. Black isn't good enough for you with his family history. I bet you enjoy the studious sort, the Dirk Cresswells and Remus Lupins of the world."

Lily couldn't speak. She was in complete shock over the turn of the conversation and could not bring herself to do more than stare at him as his handsome face distorted and his breath grew heavier.

"Or maybe you fancy the athletic type. I saw you talking to Robert Fawcett outside my classroom last week, and James Potter is very fond of you, isn't he?"

At the mention of James' name, Lily stood up quickly, her whole body shaking with rage. Her gut reaction was to take out her wand and curse the living daylights out of him, but the reasonable part of her brain told her she would get expelled if she did that to a professor. And honestly, who would believe her if she told them that she was provoked, or that this conversation had even taken place.

Steadying her nerves, she willed herself to look at him. "I don't know what impression you got of me Professor, but I assure you it's wrong. I'm not the type of girl who-"

"You're not the type of girl who has every man she meets eating from the palm of her hands?" McLeod stood up as well, moving around the desk toward her. Lily tried to back away, but only hit the bookcase behind her.

"The thing is, Miss Evans," While he spoke, he kept a respectable distance from her, but she could still see the stubble on his chin, his blue eyes reflecting every bit of light in the room. "You do have every person in this castle eating from the palm of your hands. Every man who encounters you seems to be completely enchanted. I have been in this castle with you for only a month, and I have already seen how every adolescent boy lights up as soon as you smile at them, how the boys in your year clamor around you in order to please you, and how every professor admires you to the point of reverence. Don't play innocent with me, Miss Evans, because you, you could have anything- anyone- you want. No one would turn down the opportunity to be the focus of your affection. All you have to do is choose, because no one would ever turn you down. The question is, who do you choose, Lily?"

Lily watched as his expression softened, as the crazed look in his eyes faded. Lily always knew what she wanted as much as any other seventeen-year-old girl did. She knew when she wanted a new pair of shoes, or an expensive inkwell. She knew she wanted her family to be okay, she knew she wanted Petunia to love her again. She wanted Marlene to find real love; she wanted Severus to find himself again; she wanted James to not disappoint her. But at that moment, all she really wanted, more than she had wanted anything else in her life, was to close the gap between her and the young professor.

As soon as she stepped forward, his hands gripped her arms possessively and his lips crashed on hers. Lily gasped, then moaned as his fingernails dug into her skin. He pushed her roughly against the bookcase and she snaked her arms around his neck, beckoning him closer. As his tongue urged her mouth open to welcome him, she dug her own fingernails into the back of his neck and she shivered in pleasure as she heard him groan. Before she could lift her leg to circle his waist, he pulled away from her and whirled her around. Her front crashed into the bookcase, and she gripped one of the shelves for support as he lifted her skirt and pushed his fingers into her. Lily resisted the urge to yelp and felt him move inside her and her head lolled in pleasure, landing on his shoulder as his tongue caressed her neck. Just as quickly as his fingers entered her, they were tugged out and replaced by his member. He thrust into her so brutally her fingers slipped from the shelves, making her almost collapse but he gripped her hips, holding her in place as he violated her from behind, pushing her against him as he sank deeper. Lily felt a ripple of pleasure grow inside and she lifted one of her arms to find his face behind her. She caressed his hair and he bit her earlobe, making her gasp and sending her to the edge. He muffled her scream with his hand, his other one still digging into her hips as he pounded her. It was only when she bit one of his fingers that he groaned and she felt him relax behind her.

Lily closed her eyes and didn't move from the wall for what felt like an eternity. She felt McLeod move away from her and could sense him shuffle around. It was only when she heard his chair scrape against the wooden floors that she turned around. He sat at his desk, looking down at a long roll of parchment in front of him. He didn't look up when she crossed the room, nor did he say anything when she left his office and closed the door slowly behind her.

Lily held back a shudder but she could not stop her body shaking. She walked slowly and deliberately to the Gryffindor common room and only stopped when she reached the Fat Lady. She steadied her breath before uttering the password and entering the common room, but she could still feel her heart beating steadily against her ribcage. Her eyes sought out Marlene near the fireplace and Lily made her way to her friend quickly. It was a testament to how befuddled Lily felt that only when she sat down did she noticed the four boys sitting across from her friend. It was a rule of thumb that they would always be laughing so raucously that every person's attention would be focused on them.

"Hello darling," Marlene grinned at her. "How was Professor Shag-Worthy?"

Lily tried to act nonchalant as she rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quite manage to hide the fact that she flushed at Marlene's words, making her frown worriedly.

"Are you alright, Lil?" Marlene asked, studying the redhead's face carefully, "You look a bit white around the edges."

"Evans is deathly white everywhere, McKinnon." Sirius grinned.

Lily ignored Sirius, keeping her gaze on Marlene. "I'm fine," Lily said. "A bit tired."

Marlene's frown deepened. "But you were fine an hour ago. You were teaching those third years some dance you learnt in Muggle school."

"I guess all the jumping around caught up with me," Lily tried to smile but she was sure it came out as a grimace.

"If you say so," Marlene spoke slowly, then shook her head. "Anyway, this came for you when you were off reading boring Ministry documents." She handed Lily a letter.

Lily opened it quickly, and then put it away as soon as she saw what it was. "Slughorn's having a get-together." Lily told Marlene.

"Which boring old fart is invited this time?" Marlene grinned.

"I don't remember, some Holyhead Harpies player," Lily said distractedly, staring absently at two sixth-years across the room as they changed the color of each other's eyebrows.

"What Holyhead player?" Lily jumped as James spoke, and she turned around slowly to face him.

"Where's your invitation?" She asked, for she knew he always received one, though he never thought it pertinent enough to actually attend any of the parties.

"I chucked ours in the fire," Sirius spoke up. "Which player is it?"

Lily glanced back at the invitation. "Daphne Switch, she's a chaser."

"She's a chaser, she says." James wailed dramatically, "She's only the best damned chaser they've had in over a _century_, Evans."

"I think we'll have to make an appearance then, mate." Sirius grinned at his friend.

"I think that is a very strong possibility, my man." James smirked, ruffling his hair. "I'll take Remus as my lady friend if you take Peter."

"That doesn't seem very fair," Sirius frowned. "We both know our Moony friend here would look better in women's dress robes."

"Yes, but he also has exceptionally hairy legs." James replied, "And that is a fact I am willing to overlook."

"We have to wear women's robes?" Peter squeaked worriedly.

"Only if mine aren't pink." Remus smiled.

Lily rubbed her eyes tiredly and turned to face the laughing Marlene. "I'll go up now, I want a shower before bed."

"Is that an invitation?" James grinned. "Or even better, a double invitation to your shower _and _your bed?"

"No," Lily said curtly. If James noticed that she was in no mood to bicker good-humoredly, he didn't seem to care.

"I'll wash your back if you do my front." James smirked as Sirius snickered loudly.

"Goodnight Marlene," Lily said pointedly, walking away.

"That's fine Evans, I'll just join you in bed afterwards. Just shout when you're squeaky clean."

It was only when Lily was in bed that night that she allowed herself to replay the events of that night. Despite the fact that she and Marlene had joked about seducing the professor, it never occurred to her that something like that would actually happen. She felt ill and tired, but sleep escaped her as she stared up at the ceiling. She could almost feel his hands at her hips, his tongue against the bare skin of her neck. She was ashamed of the ache between her thighs as she thought back at what happened, but she was also heavily aware that something like that could never happen again.

**A/N: Naughty, naughty! Writing sex scenes without saying the words fanny and willy is tres difficile, I learnt.**

**I think this is the longest I've gone without updating. Oops. Sorry. Next time will be much faster, and it will be a longer chapter.**

**I'm back in England, which is tres fun. HOWEVER, being home is more of a distraction from writing, what with dogs to walk and people to see and boyfriends to feed. I honestly think my boyfriend lived on bakewells and Linda McCartney ready meals while I was gone. Plus, he decided getting rabbits was a good idea despite the existence of a very large Labrador in the house as well. Still, I promise I will update as soon as I can manage to convince the dog that there is no reason to be jealous of rabbits.**

_**PLEASE**_** let me know what you think. One of the main reasons it took me so long to update was the little amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. I know it sounds silly, but I do enjoy feedback, and it's what keeps me writing.**

**NEXT TIME: Slughorn's party, as well as very important conversations featuring James and Snape, as well as an appearance by professor.**

**ALSO- I wrote a one-shot that I'm really proud of, so please read it if you're interested. It's not J/L but I super enjoyed writing it. It's called Hating James Potter. **

**Please R&R!**


	5. Where You Start

**Chapter 5: Where You Start**

"Are you sure you're up for this, Lily?"

Marlene watched as Lily paused momentarily in front of the mirror, meeting her gaze through the reflection.

"Of course, I wouldn't go if I wasn't." Lily smiled gently.

"It's just that…" Marlene hesitated, unsure of what to say. It didn't take Merlin to notice that Lily hadn't been herself for the past week. She was quieter than usual, barely drawing any attention to herself in classes. When Dirk Cresswell told her she looked nice before lunch on Wednesday, she only managed a nod when she would have otherwise beamed and obsessed over the compliment for a week.

Lily heard her friend pause, and turned around to face Marlene. "Mar, I'm fine. I promise. I've just been feeling tired lately, that's all. I suppose the pressure of this year is getting to me."

"You should talk to James then."

Lily's heart sped up at the mention of his name, and she was overwhelmed with an unfathomable sense of guilt. "What do you mean?"

"He's your partner, Lily." Marlene said, her gaze following Lily as she reached for her dress robes. "If your Head duties are overwhelming you, you should speak to him."

"I will, don't worry." Lily replied, sliding into her black robes. She let her hair down and curled it with a wave of her wand. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"Oh, positive." Marlene rolled her eyes. "I can think of a million things better than watching Slughorn throw you in front of Ministry workers."

"Sirius Black and James Potter are coming tonight, though." Lily said, "You know they'll do something outrageous and guarantee that they'll never be invited again."

"I'd still rather piss blood, Lil."

"Lovely." Lily grimaced before waving goodbye and heading downstairs.

Lily entered Slughorn's office, which was magically modified to look like a giant ballroom, headed straight to the refreshment's table and grabbed a pitcher of pumpkin juice. She watched as people socialized, spotting members of the Slug Club as well as other students with connections. Gregory Spleen, a seventh-year Slytherin Prefect, was chatting amiably with Eldred Worple. Across the room, she saw a group of boys surrounding a woman who must have been Daphne Switch. The short blonde seemed to love the attention, and Lily watched amusedly as she eyed Sirius Black, the only boy who didn't seem to give her his unfaltering attentiveness. Lily's gaze travelled to Slughorn, who was chatting loudly with Greyfeather and McLeod. Sensing her gaze, Slughorn beckoned her over excitedly, and Lily tried not to panic as she slowly made her way toward the group.

"Lily!" Slughorn exclaimed, flinging his arm around her shoulder affectionately. "How's your evening faring, my dear?"

"Well enough," Lily smiled.

"We'll soon remedy that, won't we?" Slughorn grinned down at her, "May I introduce you to Mr. Greyfeather. Warrell, this is Hogwart's star student and Head Girl, Miss Lily Evans."

Lily blushed as Greyfeather regarded her blankly. "Pleasure," he mumbled. After obsessing over him for years on end, it was very odd to have him standing in front of her, looking slightly bored and completely normal. He was shorter in person, and seemed more uncomfortable than she thought he would be.

Slughorn looked at her expectantly, and her gaze flickered momentarily to McLeod before reverting back to the musician.

"I was at your concert in London last year," Lily said, feeling slightly foolish. "You were very good. Stupefy My Heart is an amazing song."

Greyfeather's eyes stopped regarding the crowd of students around Daphne Switch, and he smiled at Lily. "Thank you." He said simply, and Lily found herself grinning back.

"Lily's a big fan of yours, Warrell." Slughorn beamed, "She was just telling me yesterday how she wished she can't wait until to hear your next song."

"I'm sure we all share that testament," McLeod spoke for the first time.

Lily ignored her embarrassed flush at the sound of his voice, and kept her eyes locked at Greyfeather. "Are you working on anything at the moment?"

"A few songs," he said. "If you like, we could go to the music room and you could listen to what I have."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw McLeod twitch, and Slughorn spoke up. "Why, that sounds marvelous! I'm sure Professor Flitwick won't mind at all."

"Actually, it's alright," Lily said hurriedly, not sure she could handle it if he were to come on to her. "I see a friend of mine that I need to talk to, if you excuse me."

Making her way across the room before anyone could protest, Lily started shaking violently. She headed towards the door quickly, but just as she reached the exit, she felt a clammy hand grip her shoulder.

"Lily," Snape spoke quickly, his eyes darting toward Avery and Mulciber, who were standing at the other side of the room. "I need to speak to you."

"Not now, Severus." Lily exhaled exasperatedly, trying to move away.

"_No_." Snape hissed. "You need to listen."

Lily's gaze flickered to his friends at the corner too. "What?"

"I've told you this before, Lily, but you never listen. You need to keep away from Potter and his gang," he said, and she stiffened. "No, _listen to me._ They're only attracting attention to themselves, and it's going to get you in serious trouble."

"Severus, I don't need this." Lily snapped.

"Lily," Snape gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring. "You're a muggle-born. If you get into trouble with Potter and Black, you'll be the one to blame. Always. They can't protect you."

Lily scoffed. "Don't tell me what to do. I will befriend whoever I want to."

"So you're _friends_ with Potter now?"

"What does it matter to you?"

Snape sneered cruelly. "He's gotten to you, hasn't he? I knew it was only a matter of time before you were fooled by his _charm._ Do you think he cares about you? He doesn't give a-"

"Sod off," Lily cut him off. "You don't get to judge him, not anymore. And he's been a damn better friend than you have been lately."

Before he could say anything else, Lily shrugged his hand off her shoulder and headed outside. She closed her eyes as the room started spinning, and her lungs constricted. She could hear the blood pumping in her head and she couldn't stop herself shaking. Before she knew what she was doing, she started walking away from the party as fast as she could, turning sharply at the first corner. She only stopped walking when she almost tripped over a figure sitting against the wall of the corridor. She looked down to find James Potter staring up at her questioningly.

"Are you alright?" James asked worriedly, "You're trembling. Did something happen?"

Lily let out a loud sigh before collapsing against the wall next to him. "Yes. Well- no." She tucked her legs underneath her and met James' nonplussed gaze. "It's been a long week."

"In what way?"

Lily shrugged, and then nudged his arm. "Why are you out here? I thought you'd be salivating at Daphne Switch's feet?"

James grinned. "Yes, but Slughorn trying to push me at Ministry officials who work with my father outweighed any gratification slobbering would have given me."

"Poor little rich boy, I'm sure you're heartbroken." Lily rolled her eyes, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

James watched Lily as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. She looked beautiful in her dress robes, though the dark circles under her eyes didn't escape his notice. He knew that Marlene was worried about her, as she seemed less like herself lately. She barely bantered with Sirius this week, nor did she seem to pay any attention in classes. Even when she smiled, it didn't seem to reach her eyes. James exhaled loudly, and before he could change his mind, he placed a light hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked down at his hand.

"Lily, is something wrong?"

Lily couldn't take her eyes away from his hand. They were larger than she remembered them, his fingers long and thin. His arm was lean and sinewy, and she got the odd urge to touch him, if only to prolong the slight physical contact. She shook her head, dispelling the thought from her head and looked at him. "Do you ever feel like some things are… completely beyond your control?"

James frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lily sighed, and his hand fell from her shoulder. Before he could move it away, she grabbed it and held on to it with both hands. "I just wish things were easier." She said, blushing as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

James' expression was blank as he watched her trace his palm with her pale fingers. "Things don't need to be difficult, Lily." She didn't respond, and he continued. "I think that you need to stop over-thinking things, Evans. Sometimes, things happen that you won't be able to control, and the best you can do is… move on."

Lily finally met his eyes, and his expression softened. "You'll be just fine. Trust me."

"I know," she smiled. "I just wish some people would… change."

"Like who?"

Lily's expression turned guilty, and he instantly knew whom she was talking about. He held back the urge to sneer. "People rarely change, Lily." James said, careful to keep his tone neutral.

"You did." Lily replied quietly, her gaze falling down to his hand on her lap.

James smiled softly. "I didn't change Lily, I grew up."

Lily knew that, but she couldn't help but hope that one day, Severus might also grow out of his shell. She loved him, so very much, but it had become difficult to think about him or even see him. She knew that this emotional battle was her way of avoiding dealing with more difficult matters, but she still found herself ruminating over Snape, and whether they could ever be friends again.

"It just feels like the more I'm in this world, the less I belong." Lily sighed.

"What are you on about?" James frowned.

"It's different for you, James. You come from this amazing, well-respected family. You have every single thing going for you, and you will probably never have to worry about who your friends are, and whether people are judging you because of your blood or your status."

"Do you want to know what I think?" James asked.

"Of course."

James squeezed Lily's hand. "I think that if you know where you belong, then it doesn't make any difference where you started. You're a brilliant witch, Lily. You have your place, and it's in Hogwarts. I don't give a toss what your blood lineage is, and anyone who does is a wanker."

Lily's stomach fluttered as she surveyed James. She had known him for seven years, and she thought she knew everything about him. However, she had never studied his features this close up. His nose was slightly too long, and his mouth thin. But his eyes were bright and flecked with green and gold. He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen, and the more she spoke to him, the more she realized that his imperfections were nothing compared to how caring, loyal and genuine he was. She felt so safe with him, and he seemed to always know the right thing to say to make her forget her problems.

"You know," James said, snapping Lily away from her thoughts. "You can always talk to me, when you're feeling less… pensive."

Lily smiled. "I love that word."

"Pensive?"

"Yes. Don't you have words that you just like?"

"Oh yes," James smiled. "Nascent is a particular favorite."

"That's a good one." Lily nodded. "Stupendous is another one."

"Soliloquy."

"Ascendant."

"Poodle."

Lily burst out laughing. "What?"

"There's nothing wrong with the word poodle." James said defensively, though his eyes sparkled. "It's a fantastic word. I would even go so far as to say it's a stupendous word."

"You're ridiculous."

"So are you."

Lily pinched his finger. "Oh yes, but I'm nothing compared to you."

"I beg to differ, Evans."

"Of course you would, Potter. You always want the last word."

"That is complete bollocks and you know it. Besides-"

"Miss Evans."

Lily and James both looked up to find Professor McLeod staring down at them. Lily let go of James' hand quickly, and her heart began to beat rapidly.

"Good evening, Professor." James said, unaware of Lily's discomfort.

"Mr. Potter." McLeod nodded tightly, his eyes slightly narrowed. He turned his gaze toward Lily. "Professor Slughorn has been searching for you, Miss Evans. I suggest you both head back to the party."

James stood up, and offered his hand to Lily. She flushed as he helped her up, aware of McLeod's presence.

"I'll see you inside, Lily." James smiled, turning the corner to the party and leaving her with the professor. It was strange how comfortable she felt with James, sitting in a cold corridor and bantering good-naturedly. With McLeod, she felt a sense of unease, as if he was judging her every move and a big part of her wanted to please him, to make him think that she was mature and sophisticated.

They walked in uncomfortable silence to the party, and they both paused at the entrance of Slughorn's office. Lily looked up at him and realized how much he looked like James. Their hair was the same shade of dark brown, and they both had sculpted cheekbones that offset the slightly erratic hairstyles. But while James' eyes were warm and inviting, McLeod's were a steely blue, and Lily couldn't read them as easily as she could James'.

He moved to go into the party, and Lily spoke up. "I don't even know your first name."

He turned to face her again. "What?"

Lily flushed. "Your first name. I don't know it."

He regarded her silently, and Lily shifted under his gaze. After what felt like an eternity, his mouth turned in a small smile. "It's Hugh."

"Hugh." Lily nodded, and entered the party.

**A/N: Yes. I know. It took ages.**

**I just started post-grad school, and it's tres difficle let me tell you. But since this is Bonfire weekend, I thought I deserved a break from reading dull case studies and actually get to writing this.**

**Next chapter will include more Sirius, James and Hugh. **

**PLEASE, please review.**


	6. Compare and Contrast

**A/N: Apologies for any typos/grammar mistakes. Tis quite late, but I promised myself I would upload this tonight. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 6: Compare and Contrast**

Lily looked up at the ceiling of her four-poster bed, wondering what time it was. She had gone to bed at ten, but could not fall asleep. She had listened to her roommates come in after her, mumbling softly about Hogsmeade dates, but that was hours ago, she was sure of it. Sighing, Lily turned to her side and regarded the picture of her family on her bedside table. Her gaze travelled from her father, to Petunia's thin frame, and settled on her mother's curvy one. She paused at Mrs Evans face, smiling at her softly. What had mother always told her? 'Don't complain about something if you can fix it.' Lily sighed, wondering how she could fix something she didn't entirely understand. When she remembered that night, it occurred to her that he had given her a choice. And chose she did. It wasn't really illegal either- she was seventeen after all. An adult witch. But- he was still her teacher, and she couldn't keep avoiding the subject forever. She was a Gryffindor, and the man himself would turn in his grave if he realised what a coward she was being.

Making up her mind, Lily got out of bed quickly and donned on her robe and shoes. She padded across the room slowly and headed to the boys' dormitory. Tentatively, she opened the 7th year dorm door and peeked inside. The stench was the first thing she noticed. Phwoar, do boys not clean at all? Almost swimming through the sweets wrappers and dirty underwear, she made it next to his bed and nudged his shoulder.

He groaned and turned over, snoring softly.

Lily nudged him again, hissing softly. "Wake up." Slowly, he looked up at her, squinting in the darkness.

"Lily?" He asked, his eyes unfocused from sleep.

"No, it's the ghost of Christmas past." Lily rolled her eyes, sitting on the corner of the bed, turning on his lamp and handing him his glasses.

James mumbled a thank you as he put them on, looking more awake. He sat up at the bed, regarding her cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course." Lily replied, picking at the soft quilt on his bed. She was suddenly nervous.

"That's great." James said, watching her. "And don't get me wrong, I love this whole visiting-me-at-night-time thing. In fact, I'd encourage it. But is there a reason for it?"

Lily exhaled slowly, and met his gaze. "I need a favour."

James nodded. "Go on."

"I need to borrow your cloak?"

James hesitated. "What cloak?"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "The one you and your friends whisper about all the time. The one that is supposed to be a secret."

"And how do you know about it?"

"Because you lot might be the least subtle people in the whole school. Sirius asks you for it every time he wants to go down to the kitchens, and I see Peter stuffing it into his pocket almost every week."

It was James' turn to scowl. "Why should I give it to you when you've been so charming asking for it?"

Lily felt a pang of guilt, and tried to look as contrite as possible. "I'm sorry. It's just- it's been a long week."

James softened in spite of himself, and he had to resist the urge to grab her hand. "You still haven't said why you need it."

Lily looked down again and fiddled with the edge of the quilt. "I'm going to see someone."

"Right," James said slowly. "And I'm guessing they're not a Gryffindor?"

Lily laughed nervously. "Not exactly. Can I have your cloak then?"

James swallowed down the thousands of questions he had, and got out of bed. Rifling through his trunk, he pulled out the silvery material and handed it to her silently.

Lily grinned. "Thank you Mr Potter. I owe you one."

"I'll hold you to that." James smiled, and watched tiptoe out of their dormitory. As soon as the door snapped shut, James started rifling through his trunk again and pulled out the map. Settling on his bed quickly, he muttered the password and watched Lily leave the Gryffindor common room and walk down the 7th floor corridor. James' eyes roamed around the map quickly, noting anyone who was wandering around and trying to figure out who Lily had left the dormitory for.

His gaze fell on a name in the fourth floor. He was alone, with no one else on the floor. James suddenly recalled Marlene talking to Mary yesterday about Lily. She was wondering whether Lily was seeing someone. At the time, he had dismissed it only because he knew he would have noticed any bloke going near her. But now, he looked down at the name, and he just knew.

_Robert Fawcett_.

How dare he. He bloody well knew no one went near Lily Evans without hearing from him. James could picture Fawcett's blonde hair flopping pretentiously on his forehead, and his eyes darkening as he kneeled down to kiss _his _Lily. James felt his blood bubble in rage, and he shoved the map away. He did not want to see Lily meeting him, not after they had been getting on so well. James turned off his lamp, punched his pillow and fell on it, determined to sleep and forget what he had seen completely, lest he bloody murder Robert Fawcett tomorrow.

* * *

Lily paused at the end of the corridor, realising that she had no idea where she was going. Glancing around for help, she saw a portrait of two milkmaids, awake and talking softly. Shedding off the cloak, she approached them and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me," Lily said, and they both stopped talking at once and turned to look at her. "I was wondering if you could tell me where professors sleep?"

The blonde milkmaid jeered. "They'll live in diff'rent places, dun' they?"

"Oh," Lily frowned. "Well, do you know where I could find Professor McLeod?"

The brown-haired milkmaid turned to the blonde one. "Which one is he then, Marge?"

"In'he the fit one, with the great arse?"

Marge nodded. "Might be." She turned to Lily. "He the fittie?"

Lily blushed and nodded too.

"Reckon he's on the 6th floor, behind the Wallis the Weak portrait, love."

Lily smiled at them. "Thanks very much." She put the cloak on and headed down the staircase quickly, circling around the floor until she found Wallis the Weak down an empty hallway. Not knowing the password, she knocked on the door and waited.

A few minutes later, she heard shuffling behind the portrait, and Hugh McLeod cracked open the door, peering behind it. Lily took off the cloak and his eyes widened.

"Er- hello Miss Evans." He frowned, opening the door wider and stepping aside. Lily walked in much more confidently than she felt, and turned towards him as he shut the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought we should talk, don't you?" Lily said.

"Of course," he smiled nervously, and offered her a seat. "I've been meaning to speak to you, actually."

Lily resisted the urge to wring her hands, and squared her shoulders. "Good. What did you want to say?"

For a moment, Hugh watched her with a small smile on his face, as if he knew that her confidence was completely falsified, but Lily refused to crack. Finally, he sighed. "Lily- what happened last week, it can't happen again."

Lily's insides flopped, and she didn't know whether it was from relief or disappointment. Seeing her confused expression, he continued. "Don't get me wrong- I meant every word I said that day. You are just an incredible woman, but I'm still your teacher."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "I know. Don't act like I started this when you know fully well I didn't."

"I'm not saying that at all." He shook his head quickly. "I'm just trying to make sense of it. I mean, I held a position of authority over you, and I fear I might have used you."

"That's stupid," Lily frowned. "You gave me a choice."

"Yes I did," Hugh sighed again. "I don't really know what to do. Lily, I do like you an awful lot, and under different circumstances…" he trailed off, watching her closely.

Lily met his gaze. "I like you too."

He smiled. "That's good to hear. But it really can't happen again."

"I understand." Lily nodded, smiling back. He really was very handsome, even in crumpled pyjamas, and especially when he was not being aloof. Her mind travelled back to James Potter, who unlike Hugh, only slept in trousers. She couldn't help but compare the two, and she wondered whom she felt more attracted to. Though Hugh made her stomach flip nervously, James had a similar effect with her brain, as her thoughts never seemed to make much sense around him. Her smile slipped at that reflection.

Misinterpreting her expression, Hugh said. "Though- I mean- perhaps after you're done with school, we could see each other."

Lily's thoughts snapped back. "What do you mean?"

"We could use this period to get to know each other," Hugh smiled uncertainly again. "There's nothing wrong with that, is it? Then, when you're no longer my student, we could… continue from last week."

Lily blinked. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Sleep on it." Hugh nodded. "Actually, take as long as you want. And when you're ready, I'll be waiting."

* * *

Lily headed down to breakfast, yawning. She and Hugh had talked for an hour last night, and agreed that they would keep their relationship completely platonic until Lily decided what she wanted to do. She found out that he was 26, and had two serious relationships. The last one ended a year ago, and he had not dated anyone since. "I'm very picky," He explained with a smile, and Lily flushed with pleasure at the idea that he picked her out of all the women he had met.

Spotting Sirius Black again at the Gryffindor table, Lily sat down across from him and smiled. "Morning, Black."

"Evans," Sirius nodded, his eyes glued at the newspaper in front of him. "What's a six-lettered word for situation, starts with a?"

"Affair." Lily blushed. "Has mail come in already?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, this is yesterday's paper, didn't get to the crosswords then." He sighed. "That's what was so great about Binns' class, it was when I caught up on my crosswords."

"Your life is so hard." Lily rolled her eyes, buttering her toast.

"Stop being cheeky and tell me the main ingredient of a Swelling potion, something fish eyes."

"Puffer-fish eyes." Lily answered. "Why are you doing the crosswords if you don't know any of the answers?"

"Those were the last two, I'm done." Sirius grinned and leaned back.

"What a coincidence. Any reason you're up early again?"

"Any reason you look like death this morning?" Sirius retorted, waving as Marlene and James sat next to them.

"Alright?" James said sulkily, and Lily frowned.

"Good morning." She replied, smiling at Marlene. "I have an interesting dream for you."

Marlene grinned. "Was it naughty?"

James snorted loudly. "Why else would a dream be interesting?"

"Very true," Marlene nodded. "Was it like the one dream you had about Professor Kettleburn, Lil?"

Lily glared. "We don't talk about that one, Mar. I was ill with flu and delusional."

"You have fucked up taste in men, Evans." Sirius grimaced, looking at Kettleburn at the staff table who was barely able to hold his porridge spoon with his missing fingers.

"I'll say," James muttered mutinously.

Before Lily could reply, the owls descended and a letter was dropped in Lily's lap. Blinking in surprise, she tore open the seal and read it.

_Lovely Lily - I just wanted to thank you for last night. Incidentally- you looked beautiful._

Lily flushed and tried to hide the note from her breakfast companions. Unfortunately, Sirius was too quick for her, and grabbed it before she could put it away.

"Why are you blushing, Evans?" Sirius grinned. "Is it a dirty love note?"

"Give it back now." Lily hissed, trying to grab the note back from him.

"Sod off," Sirius laughed, then cleared his throat. "_Lovely Lily_, how prolific, Evans. – _I just wanted to thank y_- hey!" Sirius rubbed his arm and glared.

"Who's it from?" James asked, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's really none of your business," Lily scowled, stuffing the note in her pocket.

"Is it from the bloke you saw last night?"

"What?" Marlene whipped her head, her eyes wide.

"It's nothing," Lily mumbled.

"Is that why you look so tired?"

"Marlene, drop it." Lily glared. "I don't want to discuss this here."

"Why – ashamed of your boyfriend?" James sneered cruelly, practically massacring the sausages on his plate.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Lily grimaced, standing up quickly. "I'll see you in class, Marlene. I've suddenly lost my appetite."

James watched Lily leave quickly, and then turned to his plate.

"What was that about?" Marlene frowned.

James dropped his knife with a loud clutter. "Don't know."

"I suppose I better find out." Marlene said, getting up and following Lily. As soon as she left, James glanced at Sirius, who was watching him closely.

"Fawcett."

"What?"

"Robert Fawcett, he's dead."

Sirius grinned, turning to the Ravenclaw table. He found Fawcett in the middle of the table, talking animatedly to the Ravenclaw seeker. "What did you have in mind?"

"Something big." James growled. "He needs to learn a lesson."

**A/N: Thank you very much for everyone who reviewed, especially iwillAKyou, who is lovely. This one is for you :) **

**Next chapter will have James v the world, Lily's decision, and disappointments.**

**I hope you all have a great new year, and don't forget to review please!**


	7. Take The Pieces

**A/N: I feel like I need to explain British slang before you read on to avoid confusion. Todger is slang for willy, and fanny in England is actually quite a crude word for lady parts, not a bum like in the US (hence the British giggles at any mention of fanny packs). Also- I'm an adult in a prestigious post-graduate program. Ha.**

"We know you're there, now please leave before we deduct points."

Lily rolled her eyes at the two fifth years as they quickly left the broom closet and flitted to their respective dormitories. She could tell that James was holding back a chuckle, and she was glad he did.

"Oh to be young and in love." James sighed and continued walking down the corridor. Lily followed silently. It hadn't been the easiest night so far, if only because she was so tired. She had spent the last night exchanging letters with Hugh to the point where the school owl had tried to bite her finger when she asked him to send another letter around 2am. The next morning, she had awoken at six with no intention of going back to sleep again. Consequently, she found it very difficult to concentrate on patrols.

James and Lily walked silently down the third floor, and when he spoke, Lily almost jumped.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Lily held in a yawn.

"Do you have a television set?" James asked, and Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes, we do." Lily said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," James grinned down at her. "We were talking about television and films in Muggle Studies today, and Sirius and I thought of the perfect program for muggles."

"I'm sure it'll be fascinating." Lily said, peering into an empty classroom.

"Can I run it past you, then?" James asked.

"If you insist."

James beamed, seemingly ignoring the fact that she could barely keep her eyes open. "Well, it's for children. Do they have programs for children?"

"Yes they do. Is it educational?"

"You know Sirius and I live to educate today's youth." James scoffed cockily, and Lily giggled despite herself. "Now hush and listen. It's called Roger's Todger."

"Oh Christ."

"I said hush." James glared, though he couldn't quite hold back his grin. "Roger and his friends will teach children all about that special time in their life when they start feeling things in their pants."

"Roger has friends?" Lily asked reluctantly.

"Of course. Roger and his todger are a very sociable bunch." James replied, running a hand through his hair. "His lady friend is Fanny the Fanny-"

"Creative."

"And then there's Billy the Bumhole, who does an occasional poo and cries about it."

"I'm trying very hard to wipe the mental image I have in my head." Lily shuddered theatrically, and James scoffed again.

"Don't be so dramatic. It'll be great; children will talk about it for weeks. We already wrote the first episode, when Roger gets an erection for the first time and his todger-"

"James, stop. Please." Lily couldn't hold back her laugh any longer, and it erupted, echoing down the hallway. James stood there in mock-offense and waited for her giggles to subside before continuing to walk down the hallways again.

"I don't even want to know how you came up with that idea. I'm slightly horrified." Lily said, nudging him playfully.

"I'm a man of complete mystery, you wouldn't begin to understand where my ideas come from." James smiled down at her fondly. "Did you watch many televisions when you were young?"

"We just watched the one," Lily grinned at his mistake, "but we watched different programs on it, yes. Lots of black and white films since my dad loved them."

"What sort of films?"

"Oh, you know," Lily shrugged. "Anything with a pretty woman. My dad was completely _obsessed_ with Doris Day, we watched Calamity Jane every weekend."

"What's that?" James frowned.

"A film about a singing woman with obvious lesbian undertones. I was almost named Doris." Lily laughed at his horrified expression.

"I don't think I could take you seriously if you were called Doris Evans. It's like someone being named Esther. I hate the name Esther."

"Why?" Lily giggled.

"There's a hidden 'h' there, and as a bad speller I don't appreciate words that trick you." James sniffed. "Phoenix is another one."

"Did you just admit a weakness?" Lily smiled.

"Savour it, Evans. It doesn't happen often, I don't have many weaknesses. I'm all strengths."

They had reached the Gryffindor common room, and as Lily uttered the password to the Fat Lady and stepped in, James grabbed her arm.

"Speaking of strengths," James smiled. "Are you coming to the Quidditch match tomorrow?"

Lily had forgotten all about the match, but didn't think it was wise to relay that information. "Yes, I'm coming. Who is it against again?"

James stiffened slightly. "Slytherin. The first match is always against Slytherin, you silly woman."

"I'm sorry I offended you so greatly." Lily smiled. "Do you feel prepared, then?"

"Oh yes, though Slytherin has a new captain, so I'm interested in seeing how much that effects them." James hesitated slightly. "Ravenclaw has a new captain too. Robert Fawcett. You're friends with him, aren't you?"

Lily nodded, smiling. "Yes, Robbie's great, very witty. You'd get on with him, actually."

This had not been the answer James was hoping for, but he smiled back anyway. "If you say so."

The crackling of the fire and the dimmed common room reminded Lily of how tired she was before they had started talking, and she yawned loudly. "I suppose I should head to bed. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck." Lily waved at him and headed to her dormitory. As soon as she had disappeared up the stairs, however, James had turned back and retraced his steps to the Ravenclaw Tower.

* * *

"Move over, Head Girl coming through. You three, get off, those seats are ours." Marlene proceeded across the Quidditch pitch, shooing the three first years out of prime seats. Lily wanted to call them back to reclaim their seats, but they had scurried away quickly she could only shout out a heartfelt apology after them.

"You shouldn't do that, Mar." Mary said, sitting next to Lily.

"Had to be done," Marlene grinned just as the Slytherin team was called onto the pitch. Lily clapped politely, receiving glares from her fellow Gryffindors..

"So did you hear what happened to Robbie Fawcett yesterday?" Mary asked.

Lily frowned. "No, what happened?"

Mary shook her head sadly. "It's horrible. He was hexed last night after curfew. He's in the Hospital Wing now, completely bedridden."

Marlene gasped. "That's horrid. Who would do that?"

Mary shrugged. "Whoever they are, they did some damage. Dermot McLaggen said he won't be out for at least a week."

"But I was patrolling last night." Lily's eyebrows furrowed.

"It happened in the tower, apparently. The Ravenclaws are at a complete lost."

"Poor Robbie…" Lily mumbled, then nudged Remus who sat in front of her between Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. "Hey Remus, do you know what happened to Robbie Fawcett?"

"Shouldn't you know, Evans?" Sirius sneered at her, and Lily frowned.

"Why would I know?"

Before Sirius could reply, Remus spoke up. "He's in the Hospital Wing, apparently someone hexed him badly. He's covered in exploding boils, he can barely move."

"That's so cruel," Mary gasped. "Why would anyone do that?"

Peter shrugged. "Quidditch fanatics, probably. He is the Captain, after all."

"But Ravenclaw isn't playing for weeks." Marlene frowned, and the Peter shrugged again.

Lily was distracted throughout the game, and she watched with disinterest as the game commenced. As usual, James flew by the Gryffindor stands any chance he got, grinning or winking at Lily. Lily shook her head good-naturedly every time, ignoring the odd glare she got from the third year girls behind her. After 45 minutes, the Gryffindor seeker caught the snitch, and the people around her erupted. Lily was lead to the field with the rest of the Gryffindors as they celebrated around her, and she grinned and clapped along, congratulation passing Quidditch players. Suddenly, James came striding towards her, a huge grin on his face. Before Lily could say anything, he grabbed her and swung her around. Lily laughed and hugged him back, ignoring his slightly musty smell. When he finally let her go, she stood on her toes, ruffled his hair affectionately and pecked him on the cheek.

"Good chasering, Potter."

"I don't think that's a word, Evans. But thanks anyway."

"Does this mean you'll be insanely obnoxious about your win all week?"

"Week? More like month. Or at least until you threaten to hex me."

"Lily!" Marlene called from across the crowd, and Lily waved.

"I'll see you at the after-party." Lily smiled, and strode towards Marlene.

Lily didn't notice that there were two pairs of eyes watching them from different sides of the pitch. Up on the staff's stand, Hugh watched as James Potter's eyes followed Lily when she walked away. Near the Slytherins, Snape's fists were clenched in anger as Lily wade her way through the crowd in search of her friends.

* * *

Later that evening, James Potter strut through the empty corridors on his way to the kitchen. Everything had been going so well, and he couldn't wait to go back to the Gryffindor tower and bask in the celebrations again. But alas, hunger called and as much as enjoyed the piles of sugary treats at the party, he could have murdered a bacon butty.

"Expelliarmus!"

James flew against the wall as the spell hit him, and his wand came sailing out of his pocket, but James, with his Quidditch reflexes, caught it before he even hit the wall. James was slightly used to being hexed in the corridors, and he grew to slightly expect it whenever he was alone. Still, he knew exactly who was stood behind him, before he even turned around to face him.

Snape's wand was pointed at James menacingly, his eyes shining with hatred.

"Now now, Snivellus." James said, though his wand was pointed at Snape as well. "There's no need for any of this. We've been quite good to each other this term, haven't we? Why break the habit?"

Snape hissed an expletive, and James laughed. "Now, you're just being obnoxious. Lower you wand, Snape, or I'll deduct points."

"I don't care about your points, _Potter_." Snape spat out his name in disgust. "I just want you to _fuck off._ You ruin _everything._"

James raised his eyebrows. "Well, that was dramatic, wasn't it?"

Snape ignored him, his wand steady. "She was _my_ friend, and you stole her away from me. It doesn't matter to you that you've had everything handed down to you in a silver fucking spoon, you just had to have _her_ too, didn't you?"

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If it's Lily you're on about, she's not a bloody toy. I didn't make her do anything, nor did I snatch her up while you were sleeping. I assure you that she's my friend out of her own consent."

At this, Snape's expression flickered and James, sensing what was coming, shouted. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Snape hit the ground with a thud, his wand flying out of his grasp. James exhaled loudly and made his way towards Snape's frozen form.

"Look what you made me do." James frowned down at him. "I would lift the hex, but you'll probably chase me down the corridors shouting about possessions or whatever rubbish you were spewing. Honestly, _she_ would hex you if she heard you talking about her like that, you twat. But I suppose I can't leave you here, sadly." James sighed and lifted his wand again, but before he could utter a single word, a voice echoed behind her.

"Leave. Him. Alone."

James turned and faced a horrified looking Lily, watching him as he pointed a wand at a frozen Snape.

"Lily, it's not what you-" James started, but Lily interrupted him.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" Lily hissed, making her way towards them. "What has he done to you lately? After all we've been through, after all I've told you. You'll never grow up, will you?"

James's neck grew hot, and he clenched his fist. "_He_ hexed_ me."_

"You're not the one lying there helplessly." Lily growled.

"Merlin, what is _wrong_ with you? Listen- I was walking down the corridor, minding my own bloody business, when this tosser came out of nowhere and hurled a hex at me. I suppose you wanted me to just _stand_ there and take it?"

Lily shook her head, not meeting James' gaze. "No duelling in corridors. 10 points from Gryffindor and Slytherin." She said, and walked away, ignoring James' shouts behind her.

Lily knocked at his office door and waited, adrenaline still rushing through her from her encounter with James. Disappointment couldn't begin to explain how she felt about that entire situation. She had trusted James so much, believed him when he told her that he had grown up. Lily sighed, and wondered how she had become such a bad judge of character.

The door opened, and Hugh peered behind it. When he saw who it was, he smiled slightly and led her inside. Before he could speak, Lily looked up at him and said. "Okay."

"Okay what?" Hugh frowned slightly, ushering her towards a chair.

"Us. Okay." Lily couldn't bring herself to actually utter an entire sentence. She knew that part of this was her way of trying to get some sort of revenge on James, however childish that was.

"You mean, we can pursue a relationship?" Hugh said, and she couldn't really read his expression.

"Yes." Lily answered simply, and Hugh smiled at her. Lily, reluctantly, smiled back.

**A/N: Bloop. Not my best, I know, but I just wanted to get this out. Whatevs.**

**Please review! I'd love to hear theories/thoughts on the plot/characters.**


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